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Photo: Marc O Polo
Photos (above): Tomas Möller
Beating the drum for society’s creative revolution As one of the most sought-after art colleges in Sweden, with alumni including fashion designers Ann-Sofie Back, Bea Szenfeldt and Pär Engsheden, Beckmans College of Design in Stockholm has reason to be confident. But principal Cilla Robach is not interested in bragging. She is on one very focused no-bullshit mission: “I want to talk about the importance of creative design education in society today.” By Linnea Dunne
Sweden has a long educational tradition, but the focus has, according to Robach, often been on profession-specific qualifications. This may have suited the structure of the industrial society, but today, insists the principal, we must face the future in a more pragmatic, flexible way. According to the U.S. Labor Department, 65 per cent of those currently in education will work in jobs that do not yet exist. “Society’s focus in general is all on results, immediate payback and deliverables,” argues Robach. “But to meet the challenges faced by mankind, we need to embrace creative processes as a valuable method to solve problems, partly letting go of the control of quarterly economic
reports, and assenting to the unexpected.” With only 45 students accepted per year – out of hundreds of applicants who submit portfolios, respond to challenging briefs, and attend interviews – Beckmans’ three disciplines of Visual Communication, Fashion and Product Design offer its students an inspirational environment in the centre of Stockholm. Here, people of different backgrounds and contrasting opinions work day and night to develop ideas. However, that is not enough. “Anyone can have a brilliant idea, but at Beckmans you also learn how to realise it,” Robach insists. The teachers are all successful practising designers and communicators, working
Photo (top): Jens Löfgren. Photo (above): Beckmans College of Design
part-time at Beckmans in order to have time to develop their own practice. Former students have gone on to work for organisations including Google Creative, Balenciaga, IKEA, H&M and Victor & Rolf. An art historian and curator, Robach only took over as principal at Beckmans last summer, but her commitment and passion are contagious. Beating the drum for creative citizenship, collective consciousness and responsible creative industries, she brings to the table questions not just about education philosophy and our school system, but also about the future of society: “150 years ago, Western society changed with the industrial revolution. Today, we are facing another equally disruptive transformation, which we might call the creative revolution. We don’t know exactly where we’re going, but we need an open mind and a humanist vision of what kind of society we want to create together. At Beckmans, we want to educate citizens that make relevant contributions to this new society.” For more information, please visit: www.beckmans.se
Issue 68 | September 2014 | 37